U.S.  -977 
6'i> 


A  Glance 

at  the 

Lewis  and  Clark 
Expedition 

By 
Grace  Flandrau 


% 


A  Glance 

at  the 

Lewis  and  Clark 

Expedition 


By 
Grace  Flandrau 


Compliments  of  the 
Great  Northern  Rail\va\' 


:^ 


Captain  Merhvelher  Lewis 


1i 


A  Glance  at  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
Expedition 

By  Grace  Flaudraii 

To  Thomas  Jefferson,  more  than  to  an\  one  factor  in  our 
national  development,  is  due  the  creation  of  an  empire,  reaching 
from  coast  to  coast,  out  of  a  handful  of  states  stretching  along 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  here  and  there  by  territorial  posses- 
sions across  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Mississippi.  In  theory  he 
was  fanatically  the  opponent  of  a  great  national  sovereignty, 
abhorred  those  things  which  are  the  bulwarks  of  empire — armies, 
navies,  cities,  and  strong  centralized  power.  His  political 
philosophy  aspired  to  a  rural  world  swarming  with  schools, 
farms  and  agricultural  democrats,  who,  meeting  on  a  basis  of 
equality,  should  make  the  laws  by  which  they  governed  them- 
selves. 

In  practice  he  was  our  first  imperialist. 

When  the  revolution  had  scarcely  been  won,  before  he 
became  President,  before  the  frontiersmen  had  fought  and 
hewn  their  way  to  the  Mississippi,  Jefferson's  purpose  reached 
far  beyond  this  river — across  the  Spanish-owned  Louisiana,  over 
the  fabled  mountains  and  along  the  legendary  rivers  of  the  far 
northwest,  to  the  Pacific  Coast. 

His  hope  was  not  that  all  this  vast  expanse  should  become  one 
American  state,  but  that  it  should  not  be  European;  that  it 
should  be  a  group  of  small  democracies,  a  kind  of  pan-America, 
free  forever  from  the  European  traditions  of  king,  church,  and 
class.  Here,  in  fact,  was  the  real  beginning  of  the  Monroe 
Doctrine. 

Jefferson  was,  moreover,  as  much  scientist  as  social  philos- 
opher. He  felt  the  keenest  interest  in  acquiring  knowledge  of  the 
primitive  inhabitants,  animal  and  vegetable  life,  topographical 
and  geological  features  of  this  unknown  world.  And  he  was 
politician  as  well. 

As  early  as  17N3,  while  a  member  of  the  infant  Congress  of 
the  Confederation,  he  heard  that  the  British  government  was 
planning  an  expedition  of  discovery  and  exploration  to  the 
northwest  coast  of  America.    He  wrote  at  once  to  George  Rogers 


Clark  of  re\olutionary  fame,  urging  that  he  undertake  such  a 
journey  and  thus  estabhsh  a  prior  claim  to  these  regions. 

In  1785  while  Minister  to  France,  a  rumor  that  the  French 
government  entertained  a  similar  project  again  alarmed  his 
watchfulness  and  he  interested  the  explorer  John  Ledyard  in 
undertaking  a  journey  through  Russia  and  Siberia,  across  the 
Pacific,  to  the  northwest  coast  and  thence  eastward  down  the 
Missouri  Ri\'er  to  the  United  States.  Later  he  is  found  engaging 
the  Philosophic  Society  of  Boston  in  a  project  to  send  a  French 
botanist  Andre  Michaux  on  a  tour  through  this  territory. 

None  of  these  plans  materialized,  but  Jefferson's  preoccupation 
with  the  future  of  the  continent  as  a  whole — a  preoccupation  in 
which  he  stood  at  that  time  alone — was  unceasing.  When,  in 
1801,  he  became  President  it  was  possible  for  him  to  accomplish 
the  exploration  of  that  countr\-  which  he  had  so  long  attempted 
to  bring  about. 

In  the  meantime  the  question  of  free  use  of  the  Mississippi 
for  American  craft  became  a  burning  one.  Five  months  after 
Jefferson  came  into  office,  Livingstone  was  sent  to  France  to 
buy  the  island  of  New  Orleans  commanding  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  the  Floridas  from  Bonaparte  who  had  recently  caused 
the  recession  of  Louisiana  by  Spain  to  France.  Monroe  joined 
Livingstone  in  Paris,  in  April  1803,  and  shortly  afterwards 
Napoleon  tossed  the  whole  of  Louisiana  instead  of  the  small 
strip  they  had  been  sent  to  buy,  into  the  laps  of  the  astonished 
emissaries.  That  the  possession  of  Louisiana  was  fortuitous  and 
not  planned  by  Jefferson  has  nothing  to  do  with  his  consistent 
policy  as  regarded  the  future  of  the  far  west  and  northwest. 

Before  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  his  plans  for  a  considerable 
expedition  to  traverse  the  entire  region  were  well  in  hand;  and 
when  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark  appeared  in  the  streets  of  the 
little  Spanish-French  village  of  St.  Louis  in  December  1803  they 
came  less  as  scientific  explorers  than  as  the  direct  expression  of 
a  philosophic  and  political  ideal. 

The  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition  as  nearly  reached  perfection 
both  in  planning  and  execution  as  is  possible  for  a  merely  human 
effort.  The  project,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  developing  and 
ripening  in  Jefferson's  mind  many  \ears,  so  that  the  volumin- 
ous and  exact  instructions  he  drew  up  for  the  conduct  of  the 
tour  were  amazingly  thorough  and  competent;  and   the  men 

6 


he  chose  to  lead  the  party  and  those  in  turn  chosen  by  the 
leaders,  were  in  the  highest  degree  devoted,  capable,  and  cou- 
rageous. 

The  Leaders 

Captain  Meriwether  Lewis  was  a  Virginian  ot  tlistinguished 
colonial  ancestry  and  was  born  in  1774  on  a  farm  near  Charlottes- 
ville. He  had  several  years  of  formal  schooling  but  from  farm 
and  nearby  forest  he  obtained  a  still  more  valuable  education. 

At  eighteen  he  served  with  the  militia  in  the  so-called  Whiskey 
Rebellion  and  later  was  made  first  lieutenant  and  then  captain 
of  the  regular  army.  When  Jefferson  became  president  he  made 
Lewis  whom  he  had  known  from  boyhood  his  private  secretary 
and  two  years  later  appointed  him  to  the  leadership  of  the  west- 
ern e.xploration. 

In  writing  of  him  there  is  no  praise  too  high  for  Jefferson 
to  lavish  upon  his  young  subordinate.  He  especially  commends 
his  honesty,  courage,  and  firmness;  his  powers  of  exact  observa- 
tion; his  knowledge  of  woodcraft;  of  Indians  and  their  ways, 
and  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  life  of  the  forest. 

It  was  Lewis'  wish  to  ha\e  a  companion  of  equal  rank  associ- 
ated with  himself.  Jefferson  willingly  acquiesced.  Nothing 
could  be  more  important  than  that  the  choice  of  such  a  partner 
should  fall  upon  a  man  thoroughly  qualified  for  the  delicate  and 
arduous  task. 

Lewis  unhesitatingly  sent  to  a  Kentucky  farm  for  a  young 
officer,  William  C.  Clark,  then  retired,  under  whom  he  had 
ser\ed. 

Clark  was  ninth  of  a  family  of  ten  children — a  younger  brother 
of  General  George  Rogers  Clark. 

Although  William  Clark  had  retired  a  captain  it  was  necessary 
to  obtain  a  new  commission  for  this  command.  The  rank  of 
Captain  of  "Indioneers"  [Engineers]  as  Clark,  in  his  astonishing 
orthography  spells  it,  was  accordingly  applied  for.  He  was  made 
however  only  a  second  lieutenant  of  artillery,  but  Lewis  was 
scrupulous  in  according  him  strict  equality  of  command. 

The  party  consisted  of  twenty-nine  members — the  two  officers, 
nine  young  Kentuckians,  fourteen  soldiers  of  the  regular  army, 
two  French  boatmen,  an  interpreter,  and  a  negro  servant  of 
Captain  Clark  named  York.  They  reached  St.  Louis  in  December 


of  1803  and  spent  the  winter  months  in  camp  at  the  confluence 
of  Wood  River  with  the  Mississippi  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri.  The  time  was  passed  in  drilling  the  men,  instructing 
them  in  the  duties  the  varied  nature  of  the  enterprise  would 
entail  upon  them,  and  other  preparations. 

Xature  of  the  Undertaking 

Although  the  morale  and  spirits  of  the  party  were  of  the  best, 
even  the  humblest  members  were  impressed  with  the  seriousness 
and  importance  of  their  enterprise  and  aware  of  the  dangers 
which  would  attend  it. 

A  journey  of  thousands  of  miles  lay  before  them  through  an 
unknown  and  unmapped  country.  A  few  French  and  Spanish 
traders  had  straggled  up  the  Missouri  as  far  as  the  Mandan 
villages  which  parties  of  British  fur  traders,  descending  from  the 
north,  occasionally  visited;  one  French  exploring  expedition, 
that  of  the  La  Verendrye  sons,  had  made  an  unmarked  journey 
overland  to  the  Black  Hills  or  an  easterly  spur  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  That  was  all.  Beyond  these  villages  the  Lewis  and 
Clark  party  must  lay  its  course  with  no  guide  except  instinct 
and  common  sense.  They  were  to  ascend  the  Missouri  as  far  as 
seemed  wise — it  was  vaguely  supposed  to  rise  in  central  Cali- 
fornia; find  a  practicable  pass  across  mountains  indefinitely 
known  to  exist,  and  manage  somehow  to  connect  on  the  western 
slope  with  a  tributary  of  the  Columbia — an  unexplored  river 
whose  mouth  had  been  discovered  by  an  American,  Captain 
Gray,  in  1792.  They  were  to  make  topographical  surveys,  take 
astronomical  and  meteorological  observations;  examine  and 
report  on  the  plants,  animals,  and  minerals  of  the  regions  trav- 
ersed; make  an  especial  study  of  the  waterways  as  avenues  of 
future  transportation  and  of  the  contour  of  the  land  with  a  view 
to  future  trading  posts  and  fortifications.  Particularly,  they 
were  to  confer  with  the  various  tribes  of  Indians,  assure  them  of 
the  benevolent  interest  felt  for  them  by  their  great  father  in 
Washington  and  prepare  the  way  for  future  negotiations;  try 
to  persuade  them  to  more  peaceful  relations  among  themselves; 
ascertain  their  numbers,  tribal  afifiliations,  agricultural  and  other 
pursuits  and  condition  in  general.  Indeed  the  number  of  duties 
and  obligations  imposed  upon  these  dauntless  adventurers  would 
seem  preposterous  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  they  were  ac- 
tually and  to  the  smallest  detail  carried  out! 

8 


The  party  was  increased  before  its  departure  by  sixteen  new 
members.  These — a  corporal,  six  soldiers  and  nine  boatmen — 
were  to  accompany  the  main  bod\'  (»nl\-  as  lar  as  the  Mandan 
villages,  1,000  miles  above  St.  Louis. 

Tbc  Jounuy  Begins 

At  last,  on  a  Ma\-  morning  in  iSOi.  the  square  sail  of  the  keel 
boat  was  raised,  the  oars  of  the  tw»>  pirogues  manned  and  the 
party  set  out  on  their  great  adventure.  They  carried  with  them  in 
carefully  packed  bales  the  necessities  of  life  and  trade  tood, 
clothing,  guns,  ammunition,  and  articles  for  barter  with  the 
Indians.  Horses  for  the  use  of  the  himters  were  led  along  the 
shore.  On  the  2.')th  of  May,  a  significant  entry  in  one  of  the 
journals  states  that  on  this  day  the  "last  establishment  of  whites 
on  the  Missouri"  was  passed. 

For  five  months  the  small  flotilla  toiled  against  the  rapid 
current  of  the  shifting,  snag-filled  river.  There  were  many  delays; 
the  boats  were  often  in  need  of  repairs;  the  hunters  went  out  after 
meat;  observations  were  taken;  Indian  conferences  held  as 
directed,  when  the  savages  were  informed  that  America  not 
Spain  now  ruled  along  the  Missouri  and  good  advice  as  laid 
down  by  Mr.  Jefferson  earnestly  offered  by  the  young  leaders. 
The  Indians  were  not  only  to  make  peace  at  once  among  them- 
selves or  let  the  Great  Father  in  Washington  decide  their  dis- 
putes, but  they  were  to  prepare  themselves  to  fit  into  a  new 
order  of  things. 

Good  advice  certainl\-,  but  wh\  the  saxages  should  have  been 
expected  to  act  upon  the  gratuitous  admonitions  constantly 
thrust  upon  them  in  the  early  days,  much  less  be  grateful  for 
them,  or  belie\e  the  promises  made  them  which  so  frequently 
remained  unfulfilled,  I  have  never  l)een  able  to  see.  Usually, 
ot  course  they  didn't. 

With  the  Indians  of  the  lower  Missouri  little  difticulty  was 
expected  or  experienced  but  the  temper  of  the  powerful  Sioux 
was  known  to  be  uncertain.  A  French  trader,  Peter  Dorion,  who- 
had  married  and  lived  among  this  people  many  years,  was  met 
descending  the  river  and  induced  to  turn  back  and  accompany 
the  expedition  as  interpreter.  Several  bands  of  Sioux  were  en- 
countered and  the  meetings  passed  without  serious  difficulty. 

The  one  casualty  of  the  expedition  occurred  during  this  part 
of  the  trip.     Sergeant  Floyd  was  taken  ill  on  .August   1 0th  and 

9 


died  the  following  da>'.  He  was  buried  with  the  honors  of  war 
a  mile  below  the  river  which  still  bears  his  name  and  his  gra\e 
marked,  Clark  writes,  by  a  "seeder"  post.  The  Great  Northern 
Railway  follows  the  \alle\-  of  this  ri\er  into  the  present  Sioux 
City.  The  citizens,  including  the  railroads,  with  state  and 
federal  aid,  have  erected  a  mbnument  here  to  Sergeant  Floyd  on 
a  bluff  overlooking  the  Missouri. 

One  of  the  only  two  instances  of  insubordination  which  oc- 
curred during  the  whole  journey  also  took  place  at  this  time.  The 
culprit  was  punished  and  dismissed  but  we  find  Lewis  in  his 
report  of  the  expedition  generously  expatiating  on  the  otherwise 
good  conduct  and  character  of  the  man  and  regretting  that  this 
one  misdeed  could  not  have  been  overlooked. 

On  the  26th  of  October  they  reached  the  first  village  of  the 
Mandans — that  mild,  industrious  and  vanished  people  whose 
domed,  mud  houses,  like  the  work  of  great  burrowing  animals, 
rose  in  low  irregular  clusters  from  the  banks  above  the  Missouri. 

Indians  lined  the  river  and  crowded  the  house-tops  to  witness 
the  arrival  of  this  imposing  flotilla,  the  most  considerable  group 
of  white  men  they  had  ever  seen;  or.  charmed  and  terrified  by 
the  black  skin  and  kink\-  hair  of  the  negro  York,  followed  at 
a  prudent  distance  this  wholK'  unexpected  and  doubtless  super- 
human apparition. 

The  Winter  Camp 

Several  Frenchmen  were  found  here  and  a  Scotch  fur  trader 
belonging  to  The  Northwest  Company.  Minnetarees  came 
down  in  large  numbers  from  their  villages  further  up  the  river, 
and  later  bands  of  Knisteneaux  [Crees]  and  Assinniboines  paid 
a  visit  to  the  Mandans. 

It  had  been  decided  to  winter  at  this  place;  a  number  of  huts 
were  accordingly  built  and  called  Fort  Mandan. 

It  is  now  that  the  gentle  figure  of  the  Bird  Woman,  Sacajawea, 
appears,  whose  quiet  courage  and  devotion  have  touched  with 
a  peculiar  grace  the  subsequent  adventures  of  the  party. 

She  was  a  Shoshone  and  had.  with  another  young  woman, 
been  captured  from  her  people  by  the  Minnetarees.  She  was 
sold  to  Chaboneau,  one  of  the  Frenchmen  found  at  these  vil- 
lages, who  later  married  her.  Chaboneau  was  to  accompany 
the  expedition  as  interpreter,  taking  his  wife  and  baby  with  him. 

10 


The  captains  devoted  the  wiiiier  to  ethnological  observations 
and  to  the  compilation  of  \oluminous  reports.  In  the  spring 
other  Canadian  traders  arri\ed.  The  Northwest  Company 
regarded  with  extreme  disfavor  the  significant  arrival  of  an 
American  expedition  in  these  regions  where  they  had  enjoyed  a 
monopoly  of  the  Indian  trade.  Hoping  to  impede  the  western 
advance  of  the  party  they  incited  Chaboneau  to  make  exorbitant 
demands.  These  were  of  course  refused,  but  before  the  party  set 
out  the  fellow  repented  his  attitude  and,  together  with  his  wife 
and  young  child,  was  permitted  to  undertake  the  journey. 

In  March,  1805,  canoes  were  built  for  the  further  ascent  of 
the  river.  Cottonwood  was  the  only  timber  a\ailablc.  It  was 
not  fit  for  the  purpose  and  was  the  source  of  much  future  diffi- 
culty, the  soft  fibrous  planks  being  constantly  twisted  and 
crushed  in  the  rough  waters  of  the  upper  Missouri. 

The  party  now  separated;  those  who  were  to  return  to  St. 
Louis  embarked  carrying  with  them  despatches,  reports,  and 
maps  prepared  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  scientific  specimens — 
"A  variety  of  articles  for  the  President"  writes  one  of  the  leaders, 
including  stuffed  animals,  skeletons,  horns  of  mountain  sheep, 
elk  and  deer;  peltries  of  various  kinds;  dried  plants,  Indian 
curios;  tobacco  seed;  an  ear  ot  Mandan  corn;  a  box  of  insects, 
and  a  "burrowing  squirrel,  a  prairie  hen  and  four  magpies, 
all  alive." 

It  is  not  stated  that  the  latter  were  still  ali\e  when  and  if 
they  reached  the  White  House.  We  can  easily  imagine  with  what 
passionate  interest  its  learned  occupant  examined  these  first 
fruits  of  his  longfelt  scientific  curiositx  as  to  the  remote  and 
virgin  world  of  the  upper  Missouri. 

The  Indians  among  whom  the  party  passed  the  winter  did  not 
fail  to  respond  to  the  scrupulous  fairness  and  courtesy  which  it 
was  the  definite  policy  of  the  expedition  to  extend  to  the  savages 
and  gave  their  friendship  and  what  help  they  could  to  the 
explorers. 

Before  the  latter  set  out  the\  received  a  visit  from  the  great 
chief  of  the  Minnetarees,  Le  Borgne,  an  interesting  old  monster, 
murderer,  thief  and  drunkard,  the  wickedest  Indian  on  the 
Missouri.  He  came  to  find  out  for  himself  whether  the  black  man 
York  of  whom  he  heard  were  really  black  and  not  as  he  believed, 
merely  a  painted  white  man.  When  his  doubts  were  set  at  rest 
he  evinced  the  wonder  and  gratification  generally  felt  by  the 
Indians  at  looking  upon  so  fabulous  a  creature. 

11 


April  7,  1805,  was  the  day  set  for  departure.  The  green 
Cottonwood  canoes  laden  with  baggage  waited  along  the  shore 
of  the  muddy,  turbulent  river  whose  unknown  course  was  to 
lead  the  party  westward. 

In  his  journal  for  that  day  Captain  Lewis  expresses  the 
emotion  he  experienced  at  what  seemed  to  him  the  real  begin- 
ning of  his  dangerous  venture: 

"This  little  fleet  altho'  not  quite  so  rispectable  as  those  of 
Columbus  or  Capt.  Cook,  were  still  viewed  by  us  with  as  much 
pleasure  as  those  deservedly  famed  adventurers  ever  beheld 
theirs;  and  I  dare  say  with  quite  as  much  anxiety  for  their  safety 
and  preservation,  we  were  now  about  to  penetrate  a  country  at 
least  2,000  miles  in  width,  on  which  the  foot  of  civilized  man  had 
never  trodden  .  .  .  and  these  little  vessells  contained  every 
article  by  which  we  were  to  expect  to  subsist  or  defend  ourselves, 
however,  .  .  .  entertaining  as  I  do  the  most  confident  hope  of 
succeeding  in  a  voyage  which  had  formed  a  darling  project  of 
mine  for  the  last  ten  years,  I  could  but  esteem  this  moment 
of  departure  as  among  the  most  happy  of  my  life." 

The  Journey  Resumed 

After  passing  the  Minnetaree  (Hidatsa)  villages  some  miles 
above  Fort  Mandan  the  party  saw  no  more  Indians  for  many 
months.  The  Assiniboines  of  whom  they  had  heard  bad  reports 
were  hunting  farther  north  on  the  Assiniboine  River.  The  plains 
were  given  over  to  buffalo,  deer,  wolves,  and  fleet  bands  of  ante- 
lope that  passed  like  flying  clouds  before  the  hunters;  ferocious 
grizzlies  infested  the  willow  thickets;  white  bear  were  seen;  wild 
fowl  of  all  kinds  passed  above  them  in  long-throated  flight; 
creeks  and  backwaters  swarmed  with  beaver. 

On  April  26  the  party  approached  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. The  rivers  flowed  to  their  confluence  between  banks 
shaded  with  cottonwood,  elm  and  ash;  willows,  tall  rose  bushes 
and  wild  berries  grew  thick  on  the  lowlands  and  everywhere 
game  was  seen  pasturing  on  the  rolling  plains  that  stretched 
away  to  the  horizon. 

Lewis  pronounced  this  an  excellent  situation  for  a  future 
trading  house  and  his  recognition  of  the  importance  of  the  site 
has  proved  to  be  prophetic  of  even  more  important  development. 
Not  only  did  Fort  Union,  the  central  frontier  outpost  of  the 
Upper  Missouri,  stand  here  for  forty  years,  but  the  confluence 
of  these  great  rivers  which  suggested  the  location  of  this  trading 
post  to  Lewis,  later  indicated  the  natural  boundary  point  be- 
tween Dakota  and  Montana:  not  far  from  here  the  military  post 

12 


Marias  River 


Reprinted  from  Stevens 
Northwest  Explorations 
and  surveys  1853-oo 


of  Buford  was  built  later,  while  a  few  miles  farther  east  the  city 
of  Williston  has  grown  to  importance  and  prosperity. 

Westward  from  Williston,  a  traveller  on  the  Great  Northern 
Railway  follows  approximately  the  route  taken  by  Lewis  and 
Clark  for  600  miles  to  Butte,  one  of  the  southern  terminii  of 
the  railroad  in  Montana.  Whenever  the  Missouri  Ri\er  is 
sighted  along  that  course,  there,  o^■er  a  century  ago,  the  small 
flotilla  might  have  been  seen,  the  men  struggling  against  the 
rapid  current,  hunting  along  shore,  cooking  their  elk  and  buffalo 
meat  over  the  camp-fire  or  bivouaced  for  the  night  among  the 
willow  thickets.  Four  months  of  weary  effort  it  took  them,  a 
journey  now  accomplished  in  twenty  hours! 

A  month  after  leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  the 
shadowy  outline  of  distant  mountains  appeared  on  the  western 
horizon.  Captain  Lewis  again  experienced  a  throb  of  exultation 
at  this  further  unfolding  of  his  adventure  and  a  sense  too  of  the 
terrible  difficulties  this  cloud-like  barrier  would  oppose  to  his  on- 
ward march.     But  he  "held  it  a  crime  to  anticipate  evils." 

Indeed  the  immediate  evils  might  well  have  occupied  all  his 
attention.  The  sluggish  brown  Missouri  had  become  a  clear, 
tumultous  stream  flowing  between  walls  of  rock.  For  many  weary 
days  the  men  fought  their  way  up  the  river,  towing  the  canoes 
over  rapids,  often  immersed  in    water    to    their   armpits,   their 

1:5 


moccasins  cut  and  their  feet  wounded  b>"  the  sharp  stones. 
Incessant  repairs  had  to  be  made  on  the  flimsy  craft;  tow  lines 
broke  and  once  the  boat  carrying  their  indispensable  instru- 
ments for  taking  observations  was  almost  lost.  Through  it  all 
the  courage  and  good  nature  of  the  men  nexer  flagged. 

On  June  2  they  reached  a  place  where  the  river  forked  and 
they  were  uncertain  as  to  which  was  the  main  channel .  Nothing 
is  more  characteristic  of  the  two  men  and  their  conduct  of  the 
whole  expedition  than  the  care  with  which  they  studied  this  im- 
portant question,  and  the  exactness  of  their  deductions.  The 
clearness  of  the  water,  speed  of  the  current,  topography  of  the 
country  and  reports  previously  obtained  from  Indians  were  duly 
considered.  Captain  Lewis  ascended  the  northern  branch  and 
soon  felt  convinced  that  it  was  the  tributary  and  not  the  Missouri 
he  was  following.  He  named  it  Maria's  river  in  honor  of  Miss 
Maria  Wood,  although,  he  remarks  in  terms  of  true  southern 
gallantry,  "the  hue  of  the  waters  of  this  turbulent  and  troubled 
stream  but  illy  comport  with  the  pure  celestial  virtues  of  that 
lovely  fair  one." 

Captain  Clark  meanwhile  reconnoitered  the  south  fork  for 
a  short  distance.  When  the  leaders  returned  to  their  camp  at 
the  junction  of  the  two  rivers,  both  were  agreed  that  the  south 
branch  was  the  Missouri,  although  the  men  of  the  party  were 
unanimously  convinced  that  Maria's  river  was  the  main  stream. 

The  conclusion  reached  by  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark  was, 
like  most  of  their  careful  decisions,  correct.  Had  they  however 
been  mistaken  and  ascended  Maria's  river  they  might  have 
obtained  a  far  more  favorable  crossing  of  the  mountains  by  what 
is  now  known  as  Marias  Pass  and  an  easier  way  from  there  to 
the  Columbia  than  by  the  route  taken.  But  they  chose  to  proceed 
by  the  Missouri,  a  way  illumined  at  least  by  the  vague  light  of 
rumor,  while  away  from  that  stream  all  was  profound  darkness. 

From  this  time  the  leaders  often  separated,  one  to  explore  in 
advance,  one  to  follow  with  the  baggage.  On  July  13,  1805, 
Captain  Lewis  reached  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  and  his 
pen  is  inspired  to  lyric  flights  by  the  truly  magnificent  spectacle. 
On  the  25th,  the  three  forks  of  the  river  were  reached  and  named 
JefTerson,  Madison  and  Gallatin.  After  a  careful  reconnaissance 
it  was  decided  to  follow  the  most  westerly — the  JefTerson. 

It  now  became  a  matter  of  the  greatest  necessity  to  find 
Indians  who  might  guide  them  to  the  best  passage  through  the 

14 


mountains.  Game  was  already  scarce  and  would,  the\  knew,  be- 
come still  more  so  in  the  country  they  were  about  to  {penetrate. 
Along  the  west  loomed  the  ominous  mass  of  the  great  mountains, 
their  broad  slopes  cloaked  with  pine,  or  bare  and  torn  b\  ancient 
cataclysm  into  deep  fissures  of  gashed,  grey  rock;  their  lofty 
peaks,  streaked  with  snow,  towered  above  the  clouds. 

Sacajawea  had  already  recognized  the  spot  where  the  conflict 
between  her  people  and  the  Minnetarees  had  taken  place  and 
where  she  had  been  made  captive.  They  could  not,  she  assured 
them,  fail  soon  to  encounter  some  bantl  of  Shoshones. 

Across  the  Rockies 

On  August  12.  the  headwaters  of  the  stream  were  reached 
which  he  joyfully  beliexed  to  be  the  source  of  the  Missouri. 
Following  an  Indian  road  they  soon  came  upon  westward-flowing 
water — the  source  of  the  Lemhi  River.  They  had  surmounted 
the  Continental  Divide  and  before  them  flowed  a  tributary  of 
the  fabled  Columbia!  But  the  triumph  of  this  great  moment 
was  hea\il\-  overshadowed  with  anxiety.  With  scanty  provisions 
and  no  guides  their  condition  would  be  all  but  desperate. 

At  last  Lewis  came  upon  a  band  of  Shoshones  and  persuaded 
them  to  return  with  him  to  meet  the  main  body  still  advancing 
up  the  Missouri  under  Captain  Clark.  The  meeting  of  the  two 
parties  was  marked  b\-  a  most  romantic  incident.  At  sight  of 
the  Indians  the  interpreter's  wife,  Sacajawea  who,  burdened  as 
she  was  with  a  young  child,  had  shared  helpfully  and  without 
complaint  the  painful  marches,  privations,  and  difficulties  of  the 
long  journey,  manifested  extravagant  joy.  Laughing,  weeping, 
sucking  her  fingers  to  indicate  that  these  people  were  her  own 
relatives,  she  rushed  to  embrace  them  and  was  recei\ed  with 
equal  delight.  In  the  person  of  the  chief  she  later  discovered  her 
own  brother.  Sacajawea's  services  as  interpreter  were  invaluable 
and  this  incident  was  also  of  great  importance  in  strengthening 
the  friendly  relations  established  with  the  Shoshones.  Her 
character  and  conduct  offer  a  singular  contrast  to  that  of  her 
white  husband  Chaboneau,  who  was  always  tired,  always  afraid 
and  like  most  cowards,  a  bully  as  well.  "I  checked  "  Captain 
Clark  writes  on  August  14  [180.3]  "our  interpreter  for  striking 
his  woman  at  their  dinner." 

They  travelled  for  almost  a  month  through  wild  and  difficult 
mountain  country  and  at  last  crossed  the  main  range  of  the 

15 


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MILES 


10     15     ?0 


'edition  into  the  Marias  Country,  July,  1806 


Bitter  Root  from  the  headwaters  of  a  tributary  of  the  Bitter 
Root  River  called  by  them  Traveller's  Rest  Creek  and  now 
known  as  the  Lo  Lo  fork,  to  those  of  the  Kooskooskie  or  Clear- 
water, a  branch  of  the  Snake  River. 

Late  in  September  they  reached  a  Xez  Perce  \illage  on  the 
Clearwater  from  which  place  they  were  to  proceed  by  water. 
The  work  of  building  canoes  was  now  undertaken.  By  the  first 
week  in  October,  the  party  was  ready  to  go  forward.  The 
horses  were  intrusted  to  a  Nez  Perce  chief  who  promised  to 
guard  them  until  the  return  of  the  explorers  the  following  spring. 

They  descended  the  Clearwater  to  the  Snake  or  Lewis  River, 
and  from  there  passed  into  and  down  the  Columbia. 

The  Goal  Reached 

The  long  westward  journey  of  over  eighteen  months  was 
drawing  to  a  close.  On  November  2,  the  canoes  felt  the  deep 
swell  of  tide  water  pushing  up  stream.  We  can  imagine  with 
what  new  courage  the  boatmen  sped  their  frail  and  battered 
craft!  The  morning  of  the  7th  came  veiled  in  rain  and  fog,  but 
as  the  day  advanced  the  rain  stopped,  the  curtain  of  fog  lifted 
and  before  them  lay  the  mighty  Pacific. 

"Great  joy  in  camp"  Captain  Clark  writes,  "we  are  in  view  of 
the  Ocian,  this  great  Pacific  Octian,  which  we  have  been  so  long 
anxious  to  see,  and  the  roreing  or  noise  made  by  the  waves, 
brakeing  on  the  rockey  shores  .  .  .  may  be  heard  distictly  .  .  . 
O!   the  joy." 

There  was  not  much  cause  for  joy  however  in  the  dreary  months 
that  followed.  They  lived  like  amphibian  creatures  in  an  in- 
cessant downpour  of  rain;  their  houses  dripped  at  every  crack; 
they  slept,  cooked,  hunted,  and  explored  in  a  bleak  deluge.  The 
trading  vessels  on  which  they  had  counted  to  renew  their  sup- 
plies had  all  left  these  waters.  The  health  of  the  men  suffered 
severely  from  lack  of  proper  shelter,  clothing  and  food.  The 
Indians,  inferior  to  any  they  had  known,  were  troublesome  and 
demanded  exorbitant  prices  for  all  they  had  to  sell. 

Early  in  December  permanent  winter  quarters  were  estab- 
lished near  the  mouth  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  River,  not  far 
from  the  present  town  of  Astoria.  Here  Fort  Clatsop — a 
cluster  of  huts  surrounded  by  a  stockade — ^was  built  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  winter  spent  1)\'  liie  leaders  in  work  on  their 
journals  and  various  scientific  examinations  and  reports. 

18 


The  Rt'turn 

On  March  2(5,  1806,  they  set  out  on  the  long  homeward  journey 
lacking  in  almost  every  necessity  but  that  j^allant  spirit  with 
which  each  member  of  the  party  was  so  plentifull>  endowed. 
The  first  part  of  their  route,  except  for  a  short  cut  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Lewis  or  Snake  Rixer  to  its  junction  with  the  Clearwater 
was  the  same  that  had  l)een  taken  on  the  westward  journey. 
On  the  Clearwater  they  found  the  Nez  Perc6  chief  to  whom 
they  had  entrusted  their  horses.  These  were  deli\ered  to  them 
together  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  food  for  which  this  admirable 
Indian  indignantly  refused  any  payment.  Most  of  this  time  the 
explorers,  being  almost  without  trade  goods,  bought  the  services 
of  the  Indians  by  administering  medical  treatment.  For  this 
the  scrupulous  Captain  Lewis  rather  apologizes,  observing  how- 
ever, that  they  were  careful  to  prescribe  none  but  harmless 
remedies! 

When  they  reached  the  Bitter  Root  valley  the  two  leaders 
separated — each  to  proceed  by  a  different  way  to  the  confluence 
of  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Missouri  Rivers  where  they  were  to 
meet. 

Captain  Clark  turned  southeastward.  When  his  party  reached 
the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri,  a  number  of  men  under  Ser- 
geant Ordway  descended  this  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Maria's 
where  they  were  to  await  Captain  Lewis,  while  Captain  Clark 
was  to  go  on  across  countr\'  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellow- 
stone and  proceed  thence  by  canoe. 

Maria's  River  Expedition 

Lewis'  expedition,  which  has  received  less  attention  than 
other  parts  of  the  exploration,  we  shall  follow  in  some  detail. 
On  July  .3.  this  leader,  with  nine  men  and  five  Indians  (the 
Indians  remained  with  them  only  one  day)  left  the  camp  on  the 
Bitter  Root.  They  proceeded  in  a  northeasterly  direction, 
crossed  the  Continental  Divide  by  what  has  since  been  known 
as  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Pass,  and  reached  the  Missouri  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Great  Falls.  Leaving  a  small  party  of  men  and 
four  horses  to  await  Sergeant  Ordway,  Captain  Lewis  with  only 
three  men  set  out  on  what  was  to  be  the  most  dangerous  and 
nearly  fatal  of  all  their  adventures. 

W^hen  Lewis  had  investigated  the  Maria's  river  the  pre- 
vious summer,  he  had  Ix-lieved  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  important 


LeuLs  Mo)iti)}ie)it ,  Mcriicellier.  Afoul. 


tributaries  of  the  Missouri  and  one  which  was  Hkely  lo  be  of 
importance  in  determining  the  international  boundar\-.  He 
decided  therefore  to  ascertain  how  far  north  it  had  its  source. 
It  seems  probable  that  he  also  wished  to  discover  whether  there 
were  not  passes  in  this  northern  latitude  more  fa\orable  than 
those  by  which  they  had  crossed  the  mountains  farther  south. 

The  part>'  left  the  Great  Falls  July  17,  ISOIi.  Their  course 
lay  over  a  vast  plain,  empty  of  tree  and  shrub  on  which  roving 
herds  of  buffalo  peacefully  grazed. 

After  traveling  twent\'  miles  they  reached  a  ri\'er  (the  Teton) 
called  by  them  the  Tansy.  Here  they  came  upon  the  track  of  a 
bleeding  buffalo  which  they  took  as  an  indication  that  Indians 
were  in  the  vicinity.  They  were  now  in  a  country  frequented  by 
the  Minnetarees  of  F^ort  de  Prairie — one  of  the  two  distinct 
tribes  to  which  the  name  Gros  Ventres  was  also  applied* — and 
by  the  Blackfeet.  Lewis  had  been  told  that  these  were  Indians 
of  a  far  more  dangerous  temper  than  those  formerly  encountered, 
in  spite  of  which  he  does  not  seem  to  have  had  the  slightest 
hesitancy  in  proceeding  with  his  slender  escort,  deep  into  their 
territory. 

Hoping  now,  he  writes,  to  avoid  an  interview  with  them,  the 
party  hurried  into  a  small  wood  across  the  Teton  River.  From 
this  shelter,  however,  they  seem  promptly  to  have  emerged  and 
set  out  separately  in  search  of  the  buffalo  and  further  Indian 
signs.     Neither  were  discovered  and  the  night  passed  tranquilly. 

The  next  day  they  struck  a  small  tributary  of  the  Maria's 
which  they  called  Buffalo  creek  and  which  they  descended, 
passing  countless  herds  of  bulTalo.  After  traveling  twelve  miles 
they  cut  across  overland  to  Maria's  river. 

Lewis  found  that  he  was  above  the  highest  place  on  that 
river  he  had  reached  on  the  former  journey,  and  sent  a  party 
down  stream  to  make  sure  that  no  important  tributary  came  in 
between  these  two  points. 

The  remainder  of  that  day  and  the  whole  of  the  next  they 
continued  up  the  Maria's.  The  21st  they  reached  the  forks  of 
the  river,  the  southern  branch  now  being  known  as  the  Two 
Medicine,  and  the  northern  as  the  Cut  Bank ;  crossing  the  present 
line  of  the  Great  Northern  Railwa\-  near  the  station  of  Cut  Bank 
they  proceeded  up   the  latter  fork,  their  course  being  north  of 

Note:* — These  Minnetarees  were  a  branch  of  the  .Arapahoes,  a  separate 
racial  stock  from  the  Hiflatsa,  or  Minnetarees  found  near  the  Mandan  villages. 

21 


and  generally  parallel  with  the  Great  Northern  Railway  for 
twenty  miles.  The  following  afternoon  they  reached  a  point 
about  ten  miles,  Lewis  writes,  from  the  foot  of  the  Rockies  (it 
was  in  reality  25  miles  from  Glacier  Park  where  the  prairie 
touches  the  rugged  mountain  slope).  Here  the  river  bent  to 
the  southwest,  and  he  realized  that  the  Maria's  did  not  attain 
so  high  a  latitude  as  he  expected.  They  made  camp  here,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Cut  Bank  River,  and  proposed  to  remain  two 
days  for  the  purpose  of  taking  observations  and  examining  the 
surrounding  region. 

This  was  the  most  northerly  point  reached  by  the  Lewis  and 
Clark  expedition.  It  is  about  six  or  seven  miles  northwest  of  the 
Great  Northern  and  at  the  nearest  point  on  the  railway  (about 
two  miles  west  of  the  present  station  of  Meriwether)  a  sandstone 
shaft  has  been  erected  which  bears  the  following  inscription : 

JULY  26,  1806 
FARTHEST  POINT  WEST 
ON  CAPT.  LEWIS'  TRIP 
UP  THE 
MARIAS  RIVER 

To  the  southwest  they  might  almost  have  seen  Maria's  Pass, 
which,  had  they  ascended  Maria's  river  instead  of  the  Missouri 
on  their  outward  journey,  might  have  taken  them  across  the 
mountains  by  a  far  easier  way  than  the  one  they  followed. 

Lewis'  first  care  was  to  send  a  man  forward  to  examine  the 
river  "till  its  entrance  to  the  mountains."  Although  they  pro- 
longed their  stay  at  this  place  several  days,  the  desired  astronom- 
ical observations  could  not  be  taken;  the  weather  remained 
overcast  and  the  captain's  chronometer  stopped  for  several 
hours.  Game  was  scarce  and  the  party  suffered  from  hunger  and 
cold.  They  left  on  the  morning  of  July  26th,  naming  the  place 
Camp  Disappointment. 

Encounter  with  Minnetarees 

Their  course  lay  southeastward  across  the  plains.  The  party 
crossed  Willow  Creek  about  two  miles  from  camp  and  soon 
crossed  the  present  line  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway  two 
miles  west  of  the  station  Meriwether  near  the  place  where  the 
monument  above  referred   to   now    stands;  a   twelve-mile  ride 

22 


brought  them  to  the  Two  Medicine  or  South  fork  of  the  Maria's. 
They  forded  this  river  and  a  few  miles  farther  reached  a  small 
tributar>'  known  as  Badger  Creek,  on  which  many  years  after- 
wards a  trading  post  and  the  Blackfoot  agency  were  situated. 
Crossing  Badger  Creek  at  its  mouth  they  continued  down  the 
south  side  of  the  Two  Medicine  for  three  miles.  One  of  the 
hunters,  Drew\er,  advanced  along  the  valley  on  the  opposite 
side. 

Captain  Lewis  with  the  remaining  two  men  ascended  the 
high  land  beside  the  river.  They  soon  caught  sight  of  about 
thirty  horses  grazing  on  the  plains.  With  the  aid  of  his  glass 
Lewis  now  made  a  most  unpleasant  discovery.  Eight  of  the 
horses  were  saddled  and  he  had  not  far  to  look  for  their  riders. 
On  a  hilltop,  gazing  down  into  the  valley,  probably  at  Drewyer, 
he  beheld  for  the  first  time  since  entering  the  territory  of  the 
plains  Indians  whom  he  refers  to  as  "vicious  and  profligate 
rovers",  a  group  of  savages. 

He  carefully  weighed  the  situation  which  seemed  to  him 
serious.  He  did  not  know  how  numerous  this  band  might  prove 
to  be;  he  had  every  reason  to  fear  that  their  disposition  would 
be  hostile.  The  horses  of  his  party  were  slow  and  could  easily 
be  overtaken;  it  was  moreover  out  of  the  question  to  abandon 
Drewyer,  whom  the  Indians  had  already  seen.  He  decided 
therefore  to  advance  in  "friendly  fashion"  under  the  problematic 
protection  of  the  American  flag. 

On  perceiving  them  the  Indians  were  thrown  into  great  con- 
fusion, but  at  last  mounted  and  rode  to  meet  the  Americans. 
When  the  two  parties  were  within  a  hundred  yards  of  each  other 
the  savages  halted  and  one  of  them  came  on  alone.  Captain 
Lewis  therefore  stopped  his  men  and  went  forward  to  meet  him. 
They  shook  hands,  after  which  the  others  advanced  and  greeted 
each  other  with  the  same  show  of  good  feeling,  the  Indians  in- 
dicating that  they  wished  to  smoke  with  the  white  men.  Captain 
Lewis  gave  them  to  understand  that  the  man  they  had  first  seen 
going  down  the  river  had  the  pipe  and  asked  that  an  Indian  go 
with  one  of  his  party  to  bring  Drewyer  back. 

He  learned  by  signs  that  they  were,  as  he  had  feared,  Minne- 
tarees  of  the  North  and  inquired  if  there  were  chiefs  among 
them.  They  indicated  three  of  their  number  to  whom,  although 
Lewis  did  not  believe  them  to  be  chiefs,  he  offered  gifts — a  flag 
to  one,  a  medal  to  one,  and  a  handkerchief  to  the  third.    He  felt 

23 


somewhat  reassured  in  finding  there  were  but  eight  of  the 
sa\ages,  believing  his  men  could  easily  hold  their  own  with 
that  number. 

Lewis  now  proposed  that  the  parties  camp  together  for  the 
night.  Accordingly  they  descended  to  the  river  bank  where 
the  Indians  put  up  a  leather  lodge  and  the  evening  was  spent 
in  talk  and  smoking.  They  learned  that  these  Indians  were 
part  of  a  large  band  which  was  camped  on  the  Two  Medicine 
branch  of  the  Maria's,  near  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  that 
another  party  was  hunting  about  the  Broken  Mountains  [Sweet- 
grass  Hills]. 

Lewis  recounted  to  them  his  long  journey,  said  that  he  hoped 
to  persuade  the  Minnetarees  to  live  on  more  peaceful  terms  with 
other  tribes  and  to  bring  their  furs  to  the  future  trading  posts 
which  were  to  be  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Maria's.  He  told 
them  that  the  rest  of  his  party  was  waiting  for  him  there  and 
suggested  that  some  of  the  Indians  proceed  to  their  main  en- 
campment and  invite  all  of  the  band  to  meet  him  at  that  place, 
while  the  rest  should  go  there  with  him.  It  was  arranged  among 
the  white  men  that  a  watch  be  kept  during  the  night.  I  shall 
quote  Elliott  Coues  in  his  "History  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
Expedition": 

"Sunday,  July  27th.  At  sunrise,  the  Indians  got  up  and 
crowded  around  the  fire  near  which  J.  Fields,  who  was  then  on 
watch,  had  carelessly  left  his  rifle,  near  the  head  of  his  brother, 
who  was  still  asleep.  One  of  the  Indians  slipped  behind  him,  and, 
unperceived,  took  his  brother's  and  his  own  rifle,  while  at  the 
same  time  two  others  seized  those  of  Drewyer  and  Captain 
Lewis.  As  soon  as  Fields  turned,  he  saw  the  Indian  running  off 
with  the  rifles;  instantly  calling  his  brother,  they  pursued  him 
for  50  or  60  yards;  just  as  they  overtook  him,  in  the  scufile  for 
the  rifles  R.  Fields  stabbed  him  through  the  heart  with  his  knife. 
The  Indian  ran  about  fifteen  steps  and  fell  dead.  They  now  ran 
back  with  their  rifles  to  the  camp.  The  moment  the  fellow 
touched  his  gun,  Drewyer,  who  was  awake,  jumped  up  and 
wrested  it  from  him.  The  noise  awoke  Captain  Lewis,  who  in- 
stantly started  from  the  ground  and  reached  for  his  gun;  but 
finding  it  gone,  drew  a  pistol  from  his  belt,  and  turning  saw  the 
Indian  running  off  with  it.  He  followed  him  and  ordered  him  to 
lay  it  down,  which  he  did  just  as  the  two  Fields  came  up,  and 
were  taking  aim  to  shoot  him;  when  Captain  Lewis  ordered  them 
not  to  fire,  as  the  Indian  did  not  appear  to  intend  any  mischief. 
He  dropped  the  gun  and  was  going  slowly  off  when  Drewyer 
came  out  and  asked  permission  to  kill  him;  but  this  Captain 
Lewis  forbade,  as  he  had  not  yet  attempted  to  shoot  us.  But 
finding  that  the  Indians  were  now  endeavoring  to  drive  off  all 
the  horses,  he  ordered  [all]  three  of  us  to  follow  the  main  party, 
who  were  chasing  the  horses  up  the  river,  and  fire  instantly  upon 
the  thieves;  while  he,  without  taking  time  to  run  for  his  shot- 
pouch,  pursued  the  fellow  who  had  stolen  his  gun  and  another 
Indian,  who  were  driving  away  the  horses  on  the  left  of  the 

24 


camp.  He  pressed  them  so  closely  that  they  left  twelve  of  their 
horses,  but  continued  to  drive  off  one  of  our  own.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  300  paces  they  entered  a  steep  niche  in  the  river-bluffs, 
when  Captain  Lewis,  being  too  much  out  of  breath  to  pursue 
them  any  further,  called  out,  as  he  had  done  several  times  before, 
that  unless  they  gave  up  the  horse  he  would  shoot  them.  As  he 
raised  his  gun  one  of  the  Indians  jumped  behind  a  rock  and 
spoke  to  the  other,  who  stopped  at  the  distance  of  thirty  paces. 
Captain  Lewis  shot  him  in  the  belly.  He  fell  on  his  knees  and 
right  elbow;  but  raising  himself  a  little,  fired  and  then  crawled 
behind  a  rock.  The  shot  had  nearly  been  fatal,  for  Captain 
Lewis,  who  was  bareheaded,  felt  the  wind  of  the  ball  very  dis- 
tinctly. Not  having  his  shot-pouch,  he  could  not  reload  his  rifle; 
and  having  only  a  single  load  for  his  pistol,  he  thought  it  most 
prudent  not  to  attack  the  Indians,  and  therefore  retired  slowly 
to  the  camp.  He  was  met  by  Drewyer,  who,  hearing  the  report 
of  guns,  had  come  to  his  assistance,  leaving  the  Fields  to  pursue 
the  Indians.  Captain  Lewis  ordered  him  to  call  out  to  them  to 
desist  from  the  pursuit,  as  we  could  take  the  horses  of  the  Indians 
in  place  of  our  own;  but  they  were  at  too  great  a  distance  to  hear 
him.  He  therefore  returned  to  the  camp;  and  whilst  he  was 
saddling  the  horses,  the  Fields  returned  with  four  of  our  own, 
having  followed  the  Indians  until  two  of  them  swam  the  river 
and  two  others  ascended  the  hills,  so  that  the  horses  became 
dispersed. 

"We,  however,  were  rather  gainers  by  the  contest,  for  we  took 
four  of  the  Indian  horses,  and  lost  only  one  of  our  own.  Besides 
which,  we  found  in  the  camp  four  shields,  two  bows  with  quivers, 
and  one  of  the  guns,  which  we  took  with  us,  as  also  the  flag 
which  we  had  presented  to  the  Indians,  but  left  the  medal  round 
the  neck  of  the  dead  man,  in  order  that  they  might  be  informed 
who  we  were.  The  rest  of  their  baggage,  except  some  buffalo- 
meat,  we  left;  and  as  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  we  mounted 
our  horses,  and  after  ascending  the  river-hills,  took  our  course 
through  the  beautiful  level  plains,  in  a  direction  a  little  to  the 
south  of  east.  We  had  no  doubt  but  that  we  should  be  imme- 
diately pursued  by  a  much  larger  party,  and  that  as  soon  as 
intelligence  was  given  to  the  band  near  the  Broken  mountains, 
they  would  hasten  to  the  mouth  of  Maria's  river  to  intercept  us. 
We  hoped,  however,  to  be  there  before  them,  so  as  to  form  a 
junction  with  our  friends."* 

Travelling  as  fast  as  their  horses  could  carry  them,  they  soon 
passed  a  stream  which  they  called  Battle  River,  now  known  as 
Birch  creek,  and  later  crossed  the  Teton,  five  miles  above  where 
they  had  passed  it  on  the  northward  trip.  Here  they  halted  for 
a  much  needed  rest  of  an  hour  and  a  half.  They  continued  their 
journey  until  nightfall  when,  having  killed  a  buffalo,  they  ven- 
tured to  stop  for  another  two  hours.  By  the  light  of  a  cloudy 
moon,  among  limitless  dark  masses  of  buffalo  they  then  con- 
tinued their  desperate  race  from  this  perilous  vicinity.  At  two 
in  the  morning  they  stopped  for  a  few  hours'  sleep,  but  at  dawn, 
broken  and  sore  from  the  hard  riding  of  the  previous  day,  were 
again  in  the  saddle. 

Captain  Lewis  was  as  deeply  concerned  for  the  safety  of  the 
party  at  the  mouth  of  the  Maria's  as  for  himself  and  his  three 

26 


men.  He  felt  sure  that  the  main  body  of  the  Minnetarees,  on 
learning  what  had  occurred,  would  proceed  to  that  point  and 
attack  the  men  waiting  with  the  canoes.  He  announced  his 
intention  of  ad\ancing  by  the  most  direct  and  most  dangerous 
route  to  the  confluence  of  the  rivers.  If,  before  reaching  there, 
the  enemy  overtook  them  they  were  to  make  a  stand  until — as, 
with  his  fine  courage  and  hopefulness  he  suggests — they  routed 
the  Indians;  or  were  killed. 

As  they  approached  the  river  they  heard  the  sound  of  rifles 
and  hurrying  to  the  bank  "saw,  with  exquisite  satisfaction  our 
friends  coming  down  the  river". 

It  was  Sergeant  Ordway  with  the  party  which  had  separated 
from  Captain  Clark  at  the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Maria's,  by  great  good  fortune,  they  met 
the  men  Captain  Lewis  had  left  above  the  falls  and  who  had 
descended  to  this  point  by  land  bringing  the  horses. 

Down  the  Missouri 

On  the  29th  the  whole  party  set  out  b>-  canoe  down  the 
river.  The  water  was  high  and  the  current  strong  and  they 
were  soon  swept  safely  out  of  reach  of  the  Minnetarees. 

It  rained  at  first  in  torrents;  buffalo  continued  in  immense 
numbers;  elk.  many  big  horn,  antelope,  deer,  and  wolves  were 
seen  and  the  hunters  brought  in  a  varied  supply  of  meat. 

The  progress  of  the  party  was  rapid  and  without  serious 
incident  and  on  August  7,  1806,  they  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Yellowstone.  Here  they  found  the  fragment  of  a  letter  left 
by  Captain  Clark  saying  that  he  had  continued  down  the 
Missouri.    Captain  Lewis  accordingly  went  forward. 

On  the  12th  of  August  they  met  two  traders  from  Illinois, 
the  first  white  men  outside  of  their  own  party  they  had  seen 
since  leaving  the  Mandan  villages  in  March,  1805,  and  on  that 
same  day  they  overtook  Captain  Clark. 

On  August  14  the  united  party  reached  the  Minnetaree  and 
Mandan  villages  where  they  had  spent  the  winter  of  1804-0.3 
and  where  they  were  now  cordially  received.  They  tried  to 
induce  chiefs  of  both  nations  to  accompany  them  to  St.  Louis 
and  go  from  there  to  Washington  to  visit  the  President.  A  Man- 
dan chief  was  finally  persuaded,  together  with  his  wife  and  son, 
to  accept  the  invitation.     At  this  place  Chaboneau  asked  for 

27 


his   discharge   and,    with    his   wife   Sacajawea   and    their   much 
traveled  infant  remained  among  the  Mandans. 

As  the  party  proceeded  down  the  river  the  most  striking 
feature  of  their  journey  was  the  frequency  with  which  they  met 
parties  from  St.  Louis  ascending  to  the  Indian  country  to  trade. 
These  were  the  pioneers  of  that  great  traffic  in  furs  which  was 
to  be  the  important  commerce  of  the  frontier  for  fifty  years 
and  in  them  Lewis  and  Clark  beheld  the  first  result  of  their  own 
achievement.  Ever  widening  circles  of  activity  were  to  follow 
that  achievement  until  Jefferson's  dream  of  a  continent  re- 
deemed from  savagery,  the  home  of  an  American  people  freed 
from  the  rule  so  abhorred  by  him  of  King  and  Church,  became 
a  reality. 

In  spite  of  the  generally  sober  language  of  the  journals  we 
find  a  growing  undercurrent  of  excitement  and  joy  at  this 
return  to  civilization  after  two  years  and  three  months  of  such 
isolation,  toil,  danger,  and  privation  as  they  had  undergone. 

On  September  20.  they  reached  the  French  village  of  La 
Charette  which  they  saluted  with  cheers  and  a  discharge  of  four 
guns,  and  where  they  were  welcomed  doubtless  with  astonish- 
ment, it  being  the  popular  belief  that  they  had  perished  in  the 
wilderness.  The  next  day  they  were  again  on  their  way.  New 
settlements  had  sprung  up  and  they  were  "refreshed  with  the 
sight  of  men  and  cattle"  along  the  banks.  St.  Charles  was  reached 
on  the  21st  and  wildest  excitement  greeted  their  arrival.  De- 
tained by  the  hospitalities  extended  them  they  did  not  set  out 
until  ten  o'clock  of  the  following  day. 

Word  of  their  coming  preceded  them  and  men,  women  and 
children  flocked  to  the  shore,  the  ri\er  rang  with  cheers  as  the 
small  flotilla  swept  past  with  its  bronzed  and  tattered  crew. 

On  the  23rd  of  September  they  entered  the  Mississippi  and  at 
noon  fired  their  salute  before  the  village  of  St.  Louis. 

Their  task  was  accomplished.  They  had  navigated  the  Mis- 
souri River  from  its  mouth  to  one  of  its  sources  in  the  heart  of 
the  Rocky  mountains;  had  crossed  that  range  to  the  western 
slope  of  the  continent;  found  their  way  to  the  Columbia  and 
down  its  waters  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  On  their  return  they 
discovered  new  mountain  passes  and  widened  the  scope  of  their 
exploration  by  separate  expeditions.  The  various  operations  of 
the  party  covered  over  6,000  miles  in  a  primeval  world  which 
afforded  no  aid  or  succor  but  that  which  they  themselves  could 

28 


wrest  from  its  hard  grasp.  When  they  entered  it  the  calendar 
turned  back  thousands  of  years  and  took  them  to  an  age  the  story 
of  which  is  written  only  in  geologic  strata. 

At  all  times  e\en  in  moments  of  most  desperate  need  or  peril 
they  did  not  fail  carefully  to  observe  birds,  plants,  animals  and 
topographical  features  and  record  them  in  their  copious  reports. 
The  maps  they  drew  are  accurate  and  complete  and  ser\ed  for 
many  years  as  guides  to  those  who  followed  them  into  these  wild 
regions.  Of  the  aboriginal  peoples  the\'  encountered,  many  had 
never  before  seen  a  white  man ;  the  courage  with  which  the\'  were 
met  and  the  fairness  with  which  the\were  treated  won  from  them 
often  friendship,  always  respect.  If  all  the  white  men  who  came 
in  early  contact  with  the  Indians  had  been  of  the  quality  of 
Lewis  and  Clark  the  stor\-  of  Indians  and  whites  in  the  north- 
west would  have  been  a  \er\-  different  one. 

This  was  the  first  official  exploring  expedition  sent  out  by 
the  American  government.  Its  significance  in  our  national 
development  cannot  be  overemphasized;  where  Lewis  and  Clark 
led,  the  population  of  an  empire  has  followed. 

When  the  reader  puts  down  their  journals,  admiration  for 
their  extraordinary  efficiency  is  mingled  with  a  feeling  of  some- 
thing like  personal  affection  for  the  thoughtful,  generous  Lewis, 
the  unlettered  and  indomitable  Clark^ — brave  and  simple  men, 
of  whom  the  nation  may  justly  be  proud. 


(Printed  in  U.S. .A  ) 
29 


